The Case of Me, a Guy With Zero Dating Experience, Getting Mistaken for a Stalker by the Angel I Fell for at First Sight, Only to End Up Living Together With Her in a Harem Share House With a 1:9 Gender Ratio - Chapter 20: Sakura’s First Experience (2)

Chapter 20: Sakura’s First Experience (2)

Since Sakura had disappeared without saying anything, Yuuki thought she might have gone to the bathroom.

However, even after more than 30 minutes, she didn’t return.

Just as Yuuki began to worry about her delayed return, Sakura appeared with Misato-mama, wearing the Café Valencia uniform.

The reason Sakura hadn’t come back was undoubtedly because Misato-mama had been persuading her to work at the café.

Yuuki was convinced of this.

“Yuuki-kun, what do you think of Sakura-chan’s uniform?”

Seeing Sakura clad in the Café Valencia uniform, Yuuki’s thoughts came to a halt.

The combination of a white blouse, a café mocha-colored skirt, and an off-white apron suited her as if it had been tailor-made for her.

Her appearance was like a model in a uniform catalog.

Moreover, with her long black hair tied into a high, slim ponytail, her perfect posture completely captured Yuuki’s heart.

“Yuuki-kun… Yuuki-kun, are you okay?”

Misato-mama’s words snapped Yuuki back to reality.

“I-I’m fine.

I was just a little surprised…

But why is Sakura-san wearing the uniform?”

When Yuuki asked, Misato-mama smiled mischievously and winked.

“Well, our part-timer, Suzuki-san, called to say her son broke his leg and is hospitalized, so she needs to take about a month off.

So, I asked Sakura-chan to be our pinch-hitter!”

“If that’s the case, you should’ve told me first.

She disappeared suddenly and didn’t come back, so I was worried…”

“Yuuki-san, I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Sakura apologized.

“No, it’s my fault for not saying anything beforehand.

Sorry, Yuuki-kun, forgive me…”

Misato-mama, without a hint of remorse, winked at Yuuki to brush it off.

At that moment, an order came in from Yui, the floor staff.

“Order coming in: melon soda, strawberry parfait, Table 1.”

Yuuki was pulled back to reality and tackled the backlog of orders.

He was worried whether Sakura, new to customer service, could handle the floor staff duties.

Though nervous at first, Sakura managed to handle customer service smoothly, following Misato-mama’s example.

Her movements while carrying drinks were still a bit unsteady, but her earnest effort was endearing to watch.

From inside the counter, Yuuki occasionally observed her work.

※

Past 8 p.m., Café Valencia reached closing time.

As Yuuki finished cleaning up, Sakura was wiping down tables with Yui.

“Sakura-san, great work!

You did great for your first time!”

Yui praised Sakura with a bright smile.

“No, no, I kept messing up and caused trouble.

Thank you, Yui-chan, for teaching me so much.”

“No problem, ask me anything if you’re unsure.”

“Sakura-san, it must’ve been tough with everything being new, but you really helped us out today. Thank you.”

Misato-mama also expressed gratitude for Sakura’s first day on the job.

The master, Shintaro, finished cleaning the kitchen and came out to the floor to offer thanks.

“Sakura-san, I’m sorry for the sudden, unreasonable request, but please take care of us for the next month.”

As they were leaving, Misato-mama handed Sakura and Yuuki a special staff meal prepared by the master.

“You both worked hard today, so I made the staff meal extra special as a thank-you.”

“Thank you.

I’m looking forward to eating it at home.”

Having changed, Yuuki and Sakura said goodbye to the café family and left through the back door.

※

Opening Café Valencia’s door, a cool night breeze felt pleasant on their cheeks.

Carrying a paper bag with staff meals for two, Yuuki and Sakura walked side by side to Hoshigaoka Station.

“I was really shocked when you showed up in the café uniform, Sakura-san.”

“Sorry for disappearing without saying anything.”

“Nah, I think that was Misato-mama’s deliberate scheme.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yup, she probably wanted to surprise me with your uniform look and enjoy my reaction.”

“That’s a bit mean.”

“Misato-mama seems serious at first glance, but she’s a total surprise enthusiast who loves seeing people’s reactions.”

“Got it.

I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Still, it was cute…”

Yuuki’s eyes grew distant, recalling something.

“Huh, what was?”

Yuuki realized his inner thoughts had slipped out.

But it was too late to cover it up.

“Oh, uh, I was just thinking your uniform looked really good on you, Sakura-san.”

“Oh, thank you.”

(Yuuki-san just said I was cute, right…)

Caught off guard by Yuuki’s compliment, Sakura blushed and looked down.

The two soon arrived at the station, boarded a train just pulling into the platform, and sat in empty seats.

About 15 minutes later, they reached Hakurindai Station.

It was just past 8:40 p.m.

Passing through the station’s lively entertainment district, they entered the slightly dark alley leading to the share house.

With streetlights sparsely lighting the path, only their footsteps echoed quietly.

“You must be tired today, Sakura-san.”

Yuuki offered words of encouragement to Sakura walking beside him.

“Yes… my feet are swollen, and I’m more exhausted than I expected.

Was I doing the floor staff job properly?”

“I was watching from the counter, and you did great.”

Relieved by Yuuki’s words, Sakura relaxed.

“Thank you…

But your work was fast, precise, and cool too, Yuuki-san.”

Now it was Yuuki’s turn to blush.

“R-Really? Well, that’s just my work mode…”

Their conversation trailed off.

The quiet night street felt like a lie compared to the daytime bustle.

The shared experience of working together for the first time and their slightly deeper compliments to each other turned the atmosphere between them into something bittersweet.